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Irwin D, Bensch S, Charlebois C, David G, Geraldes A, Gupta SK, Harr B, Holt P, Irwin JH, Ivanitskii VV, Marova IM, Niu Y, Seneviratne S, Singh A, Wu Y, Zhang S, Price TD. The Distribution and Dispersal of Large Haploblocks in a Superspecies. Mol Ecol 2025:e17731. [PMID: 40091860 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2024] [Revised: 01/23/2025] [Accepted: 03/06/2025] [Indexed: 03/19/2025]
Abstract
Haploblocks are regions of the genome that coalesce to an ancestor as a single unit. Differentiated haplotypes in these regions can result from the accumulation of mutational differences in low-recombination chromosomal regions, especially when selective sweeps occur within geographically structured populations. We introduce a method to identify large well-differentiated haploblock regions (LHBRs), based on the variance in standardised heterozygosity (ViSHet) of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes among individuals, calculated across a genomic region (500 SNPs in our case). We apply this method to the greenish warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) ring species, using a newly assembled reference genome and genotypes at more than 1 million SNPs among 257 individuals. Most chromosomes carry a single distinctive LHBR, containing 4-6 distinct haplotypes that are associated with geography, enabling detection of hybridisation events and transition zones between differentiated populations. LHBRs have exceptionally low within-haplotype nucleotide variation and moderately low between-haplotype nucleotide distance, suggesting their establishment through recurrent selective sweeps at varying geographic scales. Meiotic drive is potentially a powerful mechanism of producing such selective sweeps, and the LHBRs are likely to often represent centromeric regions where recombination is restricted. Links between populations enable introgression of favoured haplotypes and we identify one haploblock showing a highly discordant distribution compared to most of the genome, being present in two distantly separated geographic regions that are at similar latitudes in both east and central Asia. Our results set the stage for detailed studies of haploblocks, including their genomic location, gene content and contribution to reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren Irwin
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Caleigh Charlebois
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gabriel David
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Armando Geraldes
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Bettina Harr
- Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionsbiologie, Germany
| | | | - Jessica H Irwin
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Irina M Marova
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Sampath Seneviratne
- Department of Zoology & Environment Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Ashutosh Singh
- Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, India
| | - Yongjie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Bioresources and Ecoenvironment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shangmingyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bioresources and Ecoenvironment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Trevor D Price
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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2
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Dudka D, Nguyen AL, Boese KG, Marescal O, Akins RB, Black BE, Cheeseman IM, Lampson MA. Adaptive evolution of CENP-T modulates centromere binding. Curr Biol 2025; 35:1012-1022.e5. [PMID: 39947176 PMCID: PMC11903153 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2024] [Revised: 11/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2025] [Indexed: 02/16/2025]
Abstract
Centromeric DNA and proteins evolve rapidly despite conserved function in mediating kinetochore-microtubule attachments during cell division. This paradox is explained by selfish DNA sequences preferentially binding centromeric proteins to disrupt attachments and bias their segregation into the egg (drive) during female meiosis. Adaptive centromeric protein evolution is predicted to prevent preferential binding to these sequences and suppress drive. Here, we test this prediction by defining the impact of adaptive evolution of the DNA-binding histone fold domain of CENP-T, a major link between centromeric DNA and microtubules. We reversed adaptive changes by creating chimeric variants of mouse CENP-T with the histone fold domain from closely related species, expressed exogenously in mouse oocytes or in a transgenic mouse model. We show that adaptive evolution of mouse CENP-T reduced centromere binding, which supports robust female gametogenesis. However, this innovation is independent of the centromeric DNA sequence, as shown by comparing the binding of divergent CENP-T variants to distinct centromere satellite arrays in mouse oocytes and in somatic cells from other species. Overall, our findings support a model in which selfish sequences drive to fixation, disrupting attachments of all centromeres to the spindle. DNA sequence-specific innovations are not needed to mitigate fitness costs in this model, so centromeric proteins adapt by modulating their binding to all centromeres in the aftermath of drive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Dudka
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Alexandra L Nguyen
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Katelyn G Boese
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Océane Marescal
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - R Brian Akins
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ben E Black
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Penn Center for Genome Integrity, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Iain M Cheeseman
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Michael A Lampson
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Penn Center for Genome Integrity, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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3
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Sridhar S, Fukagawa T. Meiosis: When centromeres choose compromise over conflict. Curr Biol 2025; 35:R196-R198. [PMID: 40068619 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2025]
Abstract
Centromeres are essential for accurate chromosome segregation, yet their DNA and proteins evolve rapidly. A new study reveals that mouse CENP-T evolved reduced centromere binding, not to counter selfish DNA, but to stabilize kinetochore dynamics and ensure successful oogenesis, reshaping ideas about centromere adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreyas Sridhar
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, The University of Osaka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Tatsuo Fukagawa
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, The University of Osaka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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4
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Plačková K, Bureš P, Lysak MA, Zedek F. Centromere drive may propel the evolution of chromosome and genome size in plants. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 134:1067-1076. [PMID: 39196767 PMCID: PMC11687628 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome size is influenced by natural selection and genetic drift acting on variations from polyploidy and repetitive DNA sequences. We hypothesized that centromere drive, where centromeres compete for inclusion in the functional gamete during meiosis, may also affect genome and chromosome size. This competition occurs in asymmetric meiosis, where only one of the four meiotic products becomes a gamete. If centromere drive influences chromosome size evolution, it may also impact post-polyploid diploidization, where a polyploid genome is restructured to function more like a diploid through chromosomal rearrangements, including fusions. We tested if plant lineages with asymmetric meiosis exhibit faster chromosome size evolution compared to those with only symmetric meiosis, which lack centromere drive as all four meiotic products become gametes. We also examined if positive selection on centromeric histone H3 (CENH3), a protein that can suppress centromere drive, is more frequent in these asymmetric lineages. METHODS We analysed plant groups with different meiotic modes: asymmetric in gymnosperms and angiosperms, and symmetric in bryophytes, lycophytes and ferns. We selected species based on available CENH3 gene sequences and chromosome size data. Using Ornstein-Uhlenbeck evolutionary models and phylogenetic regressions, we assessed the rates of chromosome size evolution and the frequency of positive selection on CENH3 in these clades. RESULTS Our analyses showed that clades with asymmetric meiosis have a higher frequency of positive selection on CENH3 and increased rates of chromosome size evolution compared to symmetric clades. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the hypothesis that centromere drive accelerates chromosome and genome size evolution, potentially also influencing the process of post-polyploid diploidization. We propose a model which in a single framework helps explain the stability of chromosome size in symmetric lineages (bryophytes, lycophytes and ferns) and its variability in asymmetric lineages (gymnosperms and angiosperms), providing a foundation for future research in plant genome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klára Plačková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Bureš
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin A Lysak
- CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - František Zedek
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
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Bellou E, Zielinska AP, Mönnich EU, Schweizer N, Politi AZ, Wellecke A, Sibold C, Tandler-Schneider A, Schuh M. Chromosome architecture and low cohesion bias acrocentric chromosomes towards aneuploidy during mammalian meiosis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:10713. [PMID: 39715766 PMCID: PMC11666783 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54659-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 11/12/2024] [Indexed: 12/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Aneuploidy in eggs is a leading cause of miscarriages or viable developmental syndromes. Aneuploidy rates differ between individual chromosomes. For instance, chromosome 21 frequently missegregates, resulting in Down Syndrome. What causes chromosome-specific aneuploidy in meiosis is unclear. Chromosome 21 belongs to the class of acrocentric chromosomes, whose centromeres are located close to the chromosome end, resulting in one long and one short chromosome arm. We demonstrate that acrocentric chromosomes are generally more often aneuploid than metacentric chromosomes in porcine eggs. Kinetochores of acrocentric chromosomes are often partially covered by the short chromosome arm during meiosis I in human and porcine oocytes and orient less efficiently toward the spindle poles. These partially covered kinetochores are more likely to be incorrectly attached to the spindle. Additionally, sister chromatids of acrocentric chromosomes are held together by lower levels of cohesin, making them more vulnerable to age-dependent cohesin loss. Chromosome architecture and low cohesion therefore bias acrocentric chromosomes toward aneuploidy during mammalian meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Bellou
- Department of Meiosis, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Agata P Zielinska
- Department of Meiosis, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eike Urs Mönnich
- Department of Meiosis, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nina Schweizer
- Department of Meiosis, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Antonio Z Politi
- Facility for Light Microscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Antonina Wellecke
- Department of Meiosis, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | | | - Melina Schuh
- Department of Meiosis, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany.
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6
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Yang Q, Wijaya F, Kapoor R, Chandrasekaran H, Jagtiani S, Moran I, Hime GR. Unusual modes of cell and nuclear divisions characterise Drosophila development. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:2281-2295. [PMID: 39508395 PMCID: PMC11668308 DOI: 10.1042/bst20231341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 10/03/2024] [Accepted: 10/07/2024] [Indexed: 11/15/2024]
Abstract
The growth and development of metazoan organisms is dependent upon a co-ordinated programme of cellular proliferation and differentiation, from the initial formation of the zygote through to maintenance of mature organs in adult organisms. Early studies of proliferation of ex vivo cultures and unicellular eukaryotes described a cyclic nature of cell division characterised by periods of DNA synthesis (S-phase) and segregation of newly synthesized chromosomes (M-phase) interspersed by seeming inactivity, the gap phases, G1 and G2. We now know that G1 and G2 play critical roles in regulating the cell cycle, including monitoring of favourable environmental conditions to facilitate cell division, and ensuring genomic integrity prior to DNA replication and nuclear division. M-phase is usually followed by the physical separation of nascent daughters, termed cytokinesis. These phases where G1 leads to S phase, followed by G2 prior to M phase and the subsequent cytokinesis to produce two daughters, both identical in genomic composition and cellular morphology are what might be termed an archetypal cell division. Studies of development of many different organs in different species have demonstrated that this stereotypical cell cycle is often subverted to produce specific developmental outcomes, and examples from over 100 years of analysis of the development of Drosophila melanogaster have uncovered many different modes of cell division within this one species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaolin Yang
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Fernando Wijaya
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Ridam Kapoor
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Harshaa Chandrasekaran
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Siddhant Jagtiani
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Izaac Moran
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Gary R. Hime
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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7
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Courret C, Hemmer LW, Wei X, Patel PD, Chabot BJ, Fuda NJ, Geng X, Chang CH, Mellone BG, Larracuente AM. Turnover of retroelements and satellite DNA drives centromere reorganization over short evolutionary timescales in Drosophila. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002911. [PMID: 39570997 PMCID: PMC11620609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2024] [Revised: 12/05/2024] [Accepted: 10/22/2024] [Indexed: 12/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Centromeres reside in rapidly evolving, repeat-rich genomic regions, despite their essential function in chromosome segregation. Across organisms, centromeres are rich in selfish genetic elements such as transposable elements and satellite DNAs that can bias their transmission through meiosis. However, these elements still need to cooperate at some level and contribute to, or avoid interfering with, centromere function. To gain insight into the balance between conflict and cooperation at centromeric DNA, we take advantage of the close evolutionary relationships within the Drosophila simulans clade-D. simulans, D. sechellia, and D. mauritiana-and their relative, D. melanogaster. Using chromatin profiling combined with high-resolution fluorescence in situ hybridization on stretched chromatin fibers, we characterize all centromeres across these species. We discovered dramatic centromere reorganization involving recurrent shifts between retroelements and satellite DNAs over short evolutionary timescales. We also reveal the recent origin (<240 Kya) of telocentric chromosomes in D. sechellia, where the X and fourth centromeres now sit on telomere-specific retroelements. Finally, the Y chromosome centromeres, which are the only chromosomes that do not experience female meiosis, do not show dynamic cycling between satDNA and TEs. The patterns of rapid centromere turnover in these species are consistent with genetic conflicts in the female germline and have implications for centromeric DNA function and karyotype evolution. Regardless of the evolutionary forces driving this turnover, the rapid reorganization of centromeric sequences over short evolutionary timescales highlights their potential as hotspots for evolutionary innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Courret
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Lucas W. Hemmer
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Xiaolu Wei
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Prachi D. Patel
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Bryce J. Chabot
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Nicholas J. Fuda
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Xuewen Geng
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Ching-Ho Chang
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Barbara G. Mellone
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Amanda M. Larracuente
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America
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Searle JB, Pardo-Manuel de Villena F. Meiotic Drive and Speciation. Annu Rev Genet 2024; 58:341-363. [PMID: 39585909 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-111523-102603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2024]
Abstract
Meiotic drive is the biased transmission of alleles from heterozygotes, contrary to Mendel's laws, and reflects intragenomic conflict rather than organism-level Darwinian selection. Theory has been developed as to how centromeric properties can promote female meiotic drive and how conflict between the X and Y chromosomes in males can promote male meiotic drive. There are empirical data that fit both the centromere drive and sex chromosome drive models. Sex chromosome drive may have relevance to speciation through the buildup of Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities involving drive and suppressor systems, studied particularly in Drosophila. Centromere drive may promote fixation of chromosomal rearrangements involving the centromere, and those fixed rearrangements may contribute to reproductive isolation, studied particularly in the house mouse. Genome-wide tests suggest that meiotic drive promotes allele fixation with regularity, and those studying the genomics of speciation need to be aware of the potential impact of such fixations on reproductive isolation. New species can originate in many different ways (including multiple factors acting together), and a substantial body of work on meiotic drive point to it being one of the processes involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy B Searle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
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9
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Hughes JJ, Lagunas-Robles G, Campbell P. The role of conflict in the formation and maintenance of variant sex chromosome systems in mammals. J Hered 2024; 115:601-624. [PMID: 38833450 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esae031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The XX/XY sex chromosome system is deeply conserved in therian mammals, as is the role of Sry in testis determination, giving the impression of stasis relative to other taxa. However, the long tradition of cytogenetic studies in mammals documents sex chromosome karyotypes that break this norm in myriad ways, ranging from fusions between sex chromosomes and autosomes to Y chromosome loss. Evolutionary conflict, in the form of sexual antagonism or meiotic drive, is the primary predicted driver of sex chromosome transformation and turnover. Yet conflict-based hypotheses are less considered in mammals, perhaps because of the perceived stability of the sex chromosome system. To address this gap, we catalog and characterize all described sex chromosome variants in mammals, test for family-specific rates of accumulation, and consider the role of conflict between the sexes or within the genome in the evolution of these systems. We identify 152 species with sex chromosomes that differ from the ancestral state and find evidence for different rates of ancestral to derived transitions among families. Sex chromosome-autosome fusions account for 79% of all variants whereas documented sex chromosome fissions are limited to three species. We propose that meiotic drive and drive suppression provide viable explanations for the evolution of many of these variant systems, particularly those involving autosomal fusions. We highlight taxa particularly worthy of further study and provide experimental predictions for testing the role of conflict and its alternatives in generating observed sex chromosome diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Hughes
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - German Lagunas-Robles
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Polly Campbell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
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10
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Borseth AB, Kianersi HD, Galloway P, Gercken G, Stowe EL, Pizzorno M, Paliulis LV. Alignment of a Trivalent Chromosome on the Metaphase Plate Is Associated with Differences in Microtubule Density at Each Kinetochore. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:10719. [PMID: 39409048 PMCID: PMC11477388 DOI: 10.3390/ijms251910719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2024] [Revised: 09/30/2024] [Accepted: 10/01/2024] [Indexed: 10/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Chromosome alignment on the metaphase plate is a conserved phenomenon and is an essential function for correct chromosome segregation for many organisms. Organisms with naturally-occurring trivalent chromosomes provide a useful system for understanding how chromosome alignment is evolutionarily regulated, as they align on the spindle with one kinetochore facing one pole and two facing the opposite pole. We studied chromosome alignment in a praying mantid that has not been previously studied chromosomally, the giant shield mantis Rhombodera megaera. R. megaera has a chromosome number of 2n = 27 in males. Males have X1, X2, and Y chromosomes that combine to form a trivalent in meiosis I. Using live-cell imaging of spermatocytes in meiosis I, we document that sex trivalent Y chromosomes associate with one spindle pole and the two X chromosomes associate with the opposing spindle pole. Sex trivalents congress alongside autosomes, align with them on the metaphase I plate, and then the component chromosomes segregate alongside autosomes in anaphase I. Immunofluorescence imaging and quantification of brightness of kinetochore-microtubule bundles suggest that the X1 and X2 kinetochores are associated with fewer microtubules than the Y kinetochore, likely explaining the alignment of the sex trivalent at the spindle equator with autosomes. These observations in R. megaera support the evolutionary significance of the metaphase alignment of chromosomes and provide part of the explanation for how this alignment is achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Leocadia V. Paliulis
- Biology Department, Bucknell University, 1 Dent Dr., Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA (P.G.); (E.L.S.)
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11
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de Lima LG, Guarracino A, Koren S, Potapova T, McKinney S, Rhie A, Solar SJ, Seidel C, Fagen B, Walenz BP, Bouffard GG, Brooks SY, Peterson M, Hall K, Crawford J, Young AC, Pickett BD, Garrison E, Phillippy AM, Gerton JL. The formation and propagation of human Robertsonian chromosomes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.24.614821. [PMID: 39386535 PMCID: PMC11463614 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.24.614821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2024]
Abstract
Robertsonian chromosomes are a type of variant chromosome found commonly in nature. Present in one in 800 humans, these chromosomes can underlie infertility, trisomies, and increased cancer incidence. Recognized cytogenetically for more than a century, their origins have remained mysterious. Recent advances in genomics allowed us to assemble three human Robertsonian chromosomes completely. We identify a common breakpoint and epigenetic changes in centromeres that provide insight into the formation and propagation of common Robertsonian translocations. Further investigation of the assembled genomes of chimpanzee and bonobo highlights the structural features of the human genome that uniquely enable the specific crossover event that creates these chromosomes. Resolving the structure and epigenetic features of human Robertsonian chromosomes at a molecular level paves the way to understanding how chromosomal structural variation occurs more generally, and how chromosomes evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Guarracino
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Sergey Koren
- Genome Informatics Section, Center for Genomics and Data Science Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tamara Potapova
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Sean McKinney
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Arang Rhie
- Genome Informatics Section, Center for Genomics and Data Science Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Steven J Solar
- Genome Informatics Section, Center for Genomics and Data Science Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chris Seidel
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Brandon Fagen
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Brian P Walenz
- Genome Informatics Section, Center for Genomics and Data Science Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gerard G Bouffard
- NIH Intramural Sequencing Center, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shelise Y Brooks
- NIH Intramural Sequencing Center, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Kate Hall
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Juyun Crawford
- Genome Informatics Section, Center for Genomics and Data Science Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alice C Young
- NIH Intramural Sequencing Center, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Brandon D Pickett
- Genome Informatics Section, Center for Genomics and Data Science Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Erik Garrison
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Adam M Phillippy
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
- Genome Informatics Section, Center for Genomics and Data Science Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- NIH Intramural Sequencing Center, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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12
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Clark FE, Greenberg NL, Silva DMZA, Trimm E, Skinner M, Walton RZ, Rosin LF, Lampson MA, Akera T. An egg-sabotaging mechanism drives non-Mendelian transmission in mice. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3845-3854.e4. [PMID: 39067449 PMCID: PMC11387149 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Selfish genetic elements drive in meiosis to distort their transmission ratio and increase their representation in gametes, violating Mendel's law of segregation. The two established paradigms for meiotic drive, gamete killing and biased segregation, are fundamentally different. In gamete killing, typically observed with male meiosis, selfish elements sabotage gametes that do not contain them. By contrast, killing is predetermined in female meiosis, and selfish elements bias their segregation to the single surviving gamete (i.e., the egg in animal meiosis). Here, we show that a selfish element on mouse chromosome 2, Responder to drive 2 (R2d2), drives using a hybrid mechanism in female meiosis, incorporating elements of both killing and biased segregation. We propose that if R2d2 is destined for the polar body, it manipulates segregation to sabotage the egg by causing aneuploidy, which is subsequently lethal in the embryo, ensuring that surviving progeny preferentially contain R2d2. In heterozygous females, R2d2 orients randomly on the metaphase spindle but lags during anaphase and preferentially remains in the egg, regardless of its initial orientation. Thus, the egg genotype is either euploid with R2d2 or aneuploid with both homologs of chromosome 2, with only the former generating viable embryos. Consistent with this model, R2d2 heterozygous females produce eggs with increased aneuploidy for chromosome 2, increased embryonic lethality, and increased transmission of R2d2. In contrast to typical gamete killing of sisters produced as daughter cells in a single meiosis, R2d2 prevents production of any viable gametes from meiotic divisions in which it should have been excluded from the egg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances E Clark
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Naomi L Greenberg
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Duilio M Z A Silva
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Emily Trimm
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Morgan Skinner
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - R Zaak Walton
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Leah F Rosin
- Unit on Chromosome Dynamics, Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Michael A Lampson
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Takashi Akera
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA.
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13
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Berube B, Ernst E, Cahn J, Roche B, de Santis Alves C, Lynn J, Scheben A, Grimanelli D, Siepel A, Ross-Ibarra J, Kermicle J, Martienssen RA. Teosinte Pollen Drive guides maize diversification and domestication by RNAi. Nature 2024; 633:380-388. [PMID: 39112710 PMCID: PMC11390486 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07788-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Selfish genetic elements contribute to hybrid incompatibility and bias or 'drive' their own transmission1,2. Chromosomal drive typically functions in asymmetric female meiosis, whereas gene drive is normally post-meiotic and typically found in males. Here, using single-molecule and single-pollen genome sequencing, we describe Teosinte Pollen Drive, an instance of gene drive in hybrids between maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and teosinte mexicana (Z. mays ssp. mexicana) that depends on RNA interference (RNAi). 22-nucleotide small RNAs from a non-coding RNA hairpin in mexicana depend on Dicer-like 2 (Dcl2) and target Teosinte Drive Responder 1 (Tdr1), which encodes a lipase required for pollen viability. Dcl2, Tdr1 and the hairpin are in tight pseudolinkage on chromosome 5, but only when transmitted through the male. Introgression of mexicana into early cultivated maize is thought to have been critical to its geographical dispersal throughout the Americas3, and a tightly linked inversion in mexicana spans a major domestication sweep in modern maize4. A survey of maize traditional varieties and sympatric populations of teosinte mexicana reveals correlated patterns of admixture among unlinked genes required for RNAi on at least four chromosomes that are also subject to gene drive in pollen from synthetic hybrids. Teosinte Pollen Drive probably had a major role in maize domestication and diversification, and offers an explanation for the widespread abundance of 'self' small RNAs in the germ lines of plants and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Berube
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Evan Ernst
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan Cahn
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin Roche
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | | | - Jason Lynn
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Armin Scheben
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | | | - Adam Siepel
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, Center for Population Biology and Genome Center, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Jerry Kermicle
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Robert A Martienssen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
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14
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Arora UP, Dumont BL. Molecular evolution of the mammalian kinetochore complex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.27.600994. [PMID: 38979348 PMCID: PMC11230421 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.27.600994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Mammalian centromeres are satellite-rich chromatin domains that serve as sites for kinetochore complex assembly. Centromeres are highly variable in sequence and satellite organization across species, but the processes that govern the co-evolutionary dynamics between rapidly evolving centromeres and their associated kinetochore proteins remain poorly understood. Here, we pursue a course of phylogenetic analyses to investigate the molecular evolution of the complete kinetochore complex across primate and rodent species with divergent centromere repeat sequences and features. We show that many protein components of the core centromere associated network (CCAN) harbor signals of adaptive evolution, consistent with their intimate association with centromere satellite DNA and roles in the stability and recruitment of additional kinetochore proteins. Surprisingly, CCAN and outer kinetochore proteins exhibit comparable rates of adaptive divergence, suggesting that changes in centromere DNA can ripple across the kinetochore to drive adaptive protein evolution within distant domains of the complex. Our work further identifies kinetochore proteins subject to lineage-specific adaptive evolution, including rapidly evolving proteins in species with centromere satellites characterized by higher-order repeat structure and lacking CENP-B boxes. Thus, features of centromeric chromatin beyond the linear DNA sequence may drive selection on kinetochore proteins. Overall, our work spotlights adaptively evolving proteins with diverse centromere-associated functions, including centromere chromatin structure, kinetochore protein assembly, kinetochore-microtubule association, cohesion maintenance, and DNA damage response pathways. These adaptively evolving kinetochore protein candidates present compelling opportunities for future functional investigations exploring how their concerted changes with centromere DNA ensure the maintenance of genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uma P. Arora
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor ME 04609
- Tufts University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 136 Harrison Ave, Boston MA 02111
| | - Beth L. Dumont
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor ME 04609
- Tufts University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 136 Harrison Ave, Boston MA 02111
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, The University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 04469
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15
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Boman J, Wiklund C, Vila R, Backström N. Meiotic drive against chromosome fusions in butterfly hybrids. Chromosome Res 2024; 32:7. [PMID: 38702576 PMCID: PMC11068667 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-024-09752-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Species frequently differ in the number and structure of chromosomes they harbor, but individuals that are heterozygous for chromosomal rearrangements may suffer from reduced fitness. Chromosomal rearrangements like fissions and fusions can hence serve as a mechanism for speciation between incipient lineages, but their evolution poses a paradox. How can rearrangements get fixed between populations if heterozygotes have reduced fitness? One solution is that this process predominantly occurs in small and isolated populations, where genetic drift can override natural selection. However, fixation is also more likely if a novel rearrangement is favored by a transmission bias, such as meiotic drive. Here, we investigate chromosomal transmission distortion in hybrids between two wood white (Leptidea sinapis) butterfly populations with extensive karyotype differences. Using data from two different crossing experiments, we uncover that there is a transmission bias favoring the ancestral chromosomal state for derived fusions, a result that shows that chromosome fusions actually can fix in populations despite being counteracted by meiotic drive. This means that meiotic drive not only can promote runaway chromosome number evolution and speciation, but also that it can be a conservative force acting against karyotypic change and the evolution of reproductive isolation. Based on our results, we suggest a mechanistic model for why chromosome fusion mutations may be opposed by meiotic drive and discuss factors contributing to karyotype evolution in Lepidoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesper Boman
- Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Christer Wiklund
- Department of Zoology: Division of Ecology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Roger Vila
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Univ. Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de La Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Niclas Backström
- Evolutionary Biology Program, Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
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16
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Sullivan W. Remarkable chromosomes and karyotypes: A top 10 list. Mol Biol Cell 2024; 35:pe1. [PMID: 38517328 PMCID: PMC11064663 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-12-0498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Chromosomes and karyotypes are particularly rich in oddities and extremes. Described below are 10 remarkable chromosomes and karyotypes sprinkled throughout the tree of life. These include variants in chromosome number, structure, and dynamics both natural and engineered. This versatility highlights the robustness and tolerance of the mitotic and meiotic machinery to dramatic changes in chromosome and karyotype architecture. These examples also illustrate that the robustness comes at a cost, enabling the evolution of chromosomes that subvert mitosis and meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Sullivan
- Department of MCD Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
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17
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Gerton JL. A working model for the formation of Robertsonian chromosomes. J Cell Sci 2024; 137:jcs261912. [PMID: 38606789 PMCID: PMC11057876 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.261912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Robertsonian chromosomes form by fusion of two chromosomes that have centromeres located near their ends, known as acrocentric or telocentric chromosomes. This fusion creates a new metacentric chromosome and is a major mechanism of karyotype evolution and speciation. Robertsonian chromosomes are common in nature and were first described in grasshoppers by the zoologist W. R. B. Robertson more than 100 years ago. They have since been observed in many species, including catfish, sheep, butterflies, bats, bovids, rodents and humans, and are the most common chromosomal change in mammals. Robertsonian translocations are particularly rampant in the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, where they exhibit meiotic drive and create reproductive isolation. Recent progress has been made in understanding how Robertsonian chromosomes form in the human genome, highlighting some of the fundamental principles of how and why these types of fusion events occur so frequently. Consequences of these fusions include infertility and Down's syndrome. In this Hypothesis, I postulate that the conditions that allow these fusions to form are threefold: (1) sequence homology on non-homologous chromosomes, often in the form of repetitive DNA; (2) recombination initiation during meiosis; and (3) physical proximity of the homologous sequences in three-dimensional space. This Hypothesis highlights the latest progress in understanding human Robertsonian translocations within the context of the broader literature on Robertsonian chromosomes.
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18
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Naish M, Henderson IR. The structure, function, and evolution of plant centromeres. Genome Res 2024; 34:161-178. [PMID: 38485193 PMCID: PMC10984392 DOI: 10.1101/gr.278409.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Centromeres are essential regions of eukaryotic chromosomes responsible for the formation of kinetochore complexes, which connect to spindle microtubules during cell division. Notably, although centromeres maintain a conserved function in chromosome segregation, the underlying DNA sequences are diverse both within and between species and are predominantly repetitive in nature. The repeat content of centromeres includes high-copy tandem repeats (satellites), and/or specific families of transposons. The functional region of the centromere is defined by loading of a specific histone 3 variant (CENH3), which nucleates the kinetochore and shows dynamic regulation. In many plants, the centromeres are composed of satellite repeat arrays that are densely DNA methylated and invaded by centrophilic retrotransposons. In some cases, the retrotransposons become the sites of CENH3 loading. We review the structure of plant centromeres, including monocentric, holocentric, and metapolycentric architectures, which vary in the number and distribution of kinetochore attachment sites along chromosomes. We discuss how variation in CENH3 loading can drive genome elimination during early cell divisions of plant embryogenesis. We review how epigenetic state may influence centromere identity and discuss evolutionary models that seek to explain the paradoxically rapid change of centromere sequences observed across species, including the potential roles of recombination. We outline putative modes of selection that could act within the centromeres, as well as the role of repeats in driving cycles of centromere evolution. Although our primary focus is on plant genomes, we draw comparisons with animal and fungal centromeres to derive a eukaryote-wide perspective of centromere structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Naish
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Ian R Henderson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
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19
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Chen C, Wu S, Sun Y, Zhou J, Chen Y, Zhang J, Birchler JA, Han F, Yang N, Su H. Three near-complete genome assemblies reveal substantial centromere dynamics from diploid to tetraploid in Brachypodium genus. Genome Biol 2024; 25:63. [PMID: 38439049 PMCID: PMC10910784 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03206-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Centromeres are critical for maintaining genomic stability in eukaryotes, and their turnover shapes genome architectures and drives karyotype evolution. However, the co-evolution of centromeres from different species in allopolyploids over millions of years remains largely unknown. RESULTS Here, we generate three near-complete genome assemblies, a tetraploid Brachypodium hybridum and its two diploid ancestors, Brachypodium distachyon and Brachypodium stacei. We detect high degrees of sequence, structural, and epigenetic variations of centromeres at base-pair resolution between closely related Brachypodium genomes, indicating the appearance and accumulation of species-specific centromere repeats from a common origin during evolution. We also find that centromere homogenization is accompanied by local satellite repeats bursting and retrotransposon purging, and the frequency of retrotransposon invasions drives the degree of interspecies centromere diversification. We further investigate the dynamics of centromeres during alloploidization process, and find that dramatic genetics and epigenetics architecture variations are associated with the turnover of centromeres between homologous chromosomal pairs from diploid to tetraploid. Additionally, our pangenomes analysis reveals the ongoing variations of satellite repeats and stable evolutionary homeostasis within centromeres among individuals of each Brachypodium genome with different polyploidy levels. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide unprecedented information on the genomic, epigenomic, and functional diversity of highly repetitive DNA between closely related species and their allopolyploid genomes at both coarse and fine scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanye Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Siying Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yishuang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jingwei Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yiqian Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - James A Birchler
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Fangpu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ning Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Handong Su
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
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20
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Berdan EL, Aubier TG, Cozzolino S, Faria R, Feder JL, Giménez MD, Joron M, Searle JB, Mérot C. Structural Variants and Speciation: Multiple Processes at Play. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2024; 16:a041446. [PMID: 38052499 PMCID: PMC10910405 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Research on the genomic architecture of speciation has increasingly revealed the importance of structural variants (SVs) that affect the presence, abundance, position, and/or direction of a nucleotide sequence. SVs include large chromosomal rearrangements such as fusion/fissions and inversions and translocations, as well as smaller variants such as duplications, insertions, and deletions (CNVs). Although we have ample evidence that SVs play a key role in speciation, the underlying mechanisms differ depending on the type and length of the SV, as well as the ecological, demographic, and historical context. We review predictions and empirical evidence for classic processes such as underdominance due to meiotic aberrations and the coupling effect of recombination suppression before exploring how recent sequencing methodologies illuminate the prevalence and diversity of SVs. We discuss specific properties of SVs and their impact throughout the genome, highlighting that multiple processes are at play, and possibly interacting, in the relationship between SVs and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Berdan
- Department of Marine Sciences, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
- Bioinformatics Core, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Thomas G Aubier
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, UMR 5174, CNRS/IRD, 31077 Toulouse, France
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Salvatore Cozzolino
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italia
| | - Rui Faria
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Jeffrey L Feder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
| | - Mabel D Giménez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Genética Humana de Misiones (IGeHM), Parque de la Salud de la Provincia de Misiones "Dr. Ramón Madariaga," N3300KAZ Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, N3300LQH Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Mathieu Joron
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Jeremy B Searle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Claire Mérot
- CNRS, UMR 6553 Ecobio, OSUR, Université de Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
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21
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Clark FE, Greenberg NL, Silva DM, Trimm E, Skinner M, Walton RZ, Rosin LF, Lampson MA, Akera T. An egg sabotaging mechanism drives non-Mendelian transmission in mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.22.581453. [PMID: 38903120 PMCID: PMC11188085 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.22.581453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
During meiosis, homologous chromosomes segregate so that alleles are transmitted equally to haploid gametes, following Mendel's Law of Segregation. However, some selfish genetic elements drive in meiosis to distort the transmission ratio and increase their representation in gametes. The established paradigms for drive are fundamentally different for female vs male meiosis. In male meiosis, selfish elements typically kill gametes that do not contain them. In female meiosis, killing is predetermined, and selfish elements bias their segregation to the single surviving gamete (i.e., the egg in animal meiosis). Here we show that a selfish element on mouse chromosome 2, R2d2, drives using a hybrid mechanism in female meiosis, incorporating elements of both male and female drivers. If R2d2 is destined for the polar body, it manipulates segregation to sabotage the egg by causing aneuploidy that is subsequently lethal in the embryo, so that surviving progeny preferentially contain R2d2. In heterozygous females, R2d2 orients randomly on the metaphase spindle but lags during anaphase and preferentially remains in the egg, regardless of its initial orientation. Thus, the egg genotype is either euploid with R2d2 or aneuploid with both homologs of chromosome 2, with only the former generating viable embryos. Consistent with this model, R2d2 heterozygous females produce eggs with increased aneuploidy for chromosome 2, increased embryonic lethality, and increased transmission of R2d2. In contrast to a male meiotic driver, which kills its sister gametes produced as daughter cells in the same meiosis, R2d2 eliminates "cousins" produced from meioses in which it should have been excluded from the egg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances E. Clark
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA
| | - Naomi L. Greenberg
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA
| | - Duilio M.Z.A. Silva
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA
| | - Emily Trimm
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Morgan Skinner
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA
| | - R Zaak Walton
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA
| | - Leah F. Rosin
- Unit on Chromosome Dynamics, Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20894 USA
| | - Michael A. Lampson
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Takashi Akera
- Cell and Developmental Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA
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22
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Voleníková A, Lukšíková K, Mora P, Pavlica T, Altmanová M, Štundlová J, Pelikánová Š, Simanovsky SA, Jankásek M, Reichard M, Nguyen P, Sember A. Fast satellite DNA evolution in Nothobranchius annual killifishes. Chromosome Res 2023; 31:33. [PMID: 37985497 PMCID: PMC10661780 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-023-09742-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Satellite DNA (satDNA) is a rapidly evolving class of tandem repeats, with some monomers being involved in centromere organization and function. To identify repeats associated with (peri)centromeric regions, we investigated satDNA across Southern and Coastal clades of African annual killifishes of the genus Nothobranchius. Molecular cytogenetic and bioinformatic analyses revealed that two previously identified satellites, designated here as NkadSat01-77 and NfurSat01-348, are associated with (peri)centromeres only in one lineage of the Southern clade. NfurSat01-348 was, however, additionally detected outside centromeres in three members of the Coastal clade. We also identified a novel satDNA, NrubSat01-48, associated with (peri)centromeres in N. foerschi, N. guentheri, and N. rubripinnis. Our findings revealed fast turnover of satDNA associated with (peri)centromeres and different trends in their evolution in two clades of the genus Nothobranchius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Voleníková
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Karolína Lukšíková
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pablo Mora
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Biology, Genetics Area, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Tomáš Pavlica
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Altmanová
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Štundlová
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Šárka Pelikánová
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic
| | - Sergey A Simanovsky
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Marek Jankásek
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Nguyen
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic.
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Alexandr Sember
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov, Czech Republic.
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23
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Berube B, Ernst E, Cahn J, Roche B, de Santis Alves C, Lynn J, Scheben A, Siepel A, Ross-Ibarra J, Kermicle J, Martienssen R. Teosinte Pollen Drive guides maize diversification and domestication by RNAi. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.12.548689. [PMID: 37503269 PMCID: PMC10370002 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic drivers subvert Mendelian expectations by manipulating reproductive development to bias their own transmission. Chromosomal drive typically functions in asymmetric female meiosis, while gene drive is normally postmeiotic and typically found in males. Using single molecule and single-pollen genome sequencing, we describe Teosinte Pollen Drive, an instance of gene drive in hybrids between maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and teosinte mexicana (Zea mays ssp. mexicana), that depends on RNA interference (RNAi). 22nt small RNAs from a non-coding RNA hairpin in mexicana depend on Dicer-Like 2 (Dcl2) and target Teosinte Drive Responder 1 (Tdr1), which encodes a lipase required for pollen viability. Dcl2, Tdr1, and the hairpin are in tight pseudolinkage on chromosome 5, but only when transmitted through the male. Introgression of mexicana into early cultivated maize is thought to have been critical to its geographical dispersal throughout the Americas, and a tightly linked inversion in mexicana spans a major domestication sweep in modern maize. A survey of maize landraces and sympatric populations of teosinte mexicana reveals correlated patterns of admixture among unlinked genes required for RNAi on at least 4 chromosomes that are also subject to gene drive in pollen from synthetic hybrids. Teosinte Pollen Drive likely played a major role in maize domestication and diversification, and offers an explanation for the widespread abundance of "self" small RNAs in the germlines of plants and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Berube
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
| | - Evan Ernst
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
| | - Jonathan Cahn
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
| | - Benjamin Roche
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
| | | | - Jason Lynn
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
| | - Armin Scheben
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
| | - Adam Siepel
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
| | - Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
- Dept. of Evolution & Ecology, Center for Population Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis CA
| | - Jerry Kermicle
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI
| | - Rob Martienssen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724
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24
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Lucek K, Giménez MD, Joron M, Rafajlović M, Searle JB, Walden N, Westram AM, Faria R. The Impact of Chromosomal Rearrangements in Speciation: From Micro- to Macroevolution. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2023; 15:a041447. [PMID: 37604585 PMCID: PMC10626258 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Chromosomal rearrangements (CRs) have been known since almost the beginning of genetics. While an important role for CRs in speciation has been suggested, evidence primarily stems from theoretical and empirical studies focusing on the microevolutionary level (i.e., on taxon pairs where speciation is often incomplete). Although the role of CRs in eukaryotic speciation at a macroevolutionary level has been supported by associations between species diversity and rates of evolution of CRs across phylogenies, these findings are limited to a restricted range of CRs and taxa. Now that more broadly applicable and precise CR detection approaches have become available, we address the challenges in filling some of the conceptual and empirical gaps between micro- and macroevolutionary studies on the role of CRs in speciation. We synthesize what is known about the macroevolutionary impact of CRs and suggest new research avenues to overcome the pitfalls of previous studies to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary significance of CRs in speciation across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay Lucek
- Biodiversity Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Mabel D Giménez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Genética Humana de Misiones (IGeHM), Parque de la Salud de la Provincia de Misiones "Dr. Ramón Madariaga," N3300KAZ Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, N3300LQH Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Mathieu Joron
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Marina Rafajlović
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jeremy B Searle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Nora Walden
- Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anja Marie Westram
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8026 Bodø, Norway
| | - Rui Faria
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado;
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
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25
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Arora UP, Sullivan BA, Dumont BL. Variation in the CENP-A sequence association landscape across diverse inbred mouse strains. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113178. [PMID: 37742188 PMCID: PMC10873113 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Centromeres are crucial for chromosome segregation, but their underlying sequences evolve rapidly, imposing strong selection for compensatory changes in centromere-associated kinetochore proteins to assure the stability of genome transmission. While this co-evolution is well documented between species, it remains unknown whether population-level centromere diversity leads to functional differences in kinetochore protein association. Mice (Mus musculus) exhibit remarkable variation in centromere size and sequence, but the amino acid sequence of the kinetochore protein CENP-A is conserved. Here, we apply k-mer-based analyses to CENP-A chromatin profiling data from diverse inbred mouse strains to investigate the interplay between centromere variation and kinetochore protein sequence association. We show that centromere sequence diversity is associated with strain-level differences in both CENP-A positioning and sequence preference along the mouse core centromere satellite. Our findings reveal intraspecies sequence-dependent differences in CENP-A/centromere association and open additional perspectives for understanding centromere-mediated variation in genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uma P Arora
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| | - Beth A Sullivan
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, 213 Research Drive, Box 3054, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Beth L Dumont
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, 5775 Stodder Hall, Room 46, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
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26
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Koury SA. Female meiotic drive shapes the distribution of rare inversion polymorphisms in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2023; 225:iyad158. [PMID: 37616566 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In all species, new chromosomal inversions are constantly being formed by spontaneous rearrangement and then stochastically eliminated from natural populations. In Drosophila, when new chromosomal inversions overlap with a preexisting inversion in the population, their rate of elimination becomes a function of the relative size, position, and linkage phase of the gene rearrangements. These altered dynamics result from complex meiotic behavior wherein overlapping inversions generate asymmetric dyads that cause both meiotic drive/drag and segmental aneuploidy. In this context, patterns in rare inversion polymorphisms of a natural population can be modeled from the fundamental genetic processes of forming asymmetric dyads via crossing-over in meiosis I and preferential segregation from asymmetric dyads in meiosis II. Here, a mathematical model of crossover-dependent female meiotic drive is developed and parameterized with published experimental data from Drosophila melanogaster laboratory constructs. This mechanism is demonstrated to favor smaller, distal inversions and accelerate the elimination of larger, proximal inversions. Simulated sampling experiments indicate that the paracentric inversions directly observed in natural population surveys of D. melanogaster are a biased subset that both maximizes meiotic drive and minimizes the frequency of lethal zygotes caused by this cytogenetic mechanism. Incorporating this form of selection into a population genetic model accurately predicts the shift in relative size, position, and linkage phase for rare inversions found in this species. The model and analysis presented here suggest that this weak form of female meiotic drive is an important process influencing the genomic distribution of rare inversion polymorphisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer A Koury
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245, USA
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27
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Finseth F. Female meiotic drive in plants: mechanisms and dynamics. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2023; 82:102101. [PMID: 37633231 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Female meiosis is fundamentally asymmetric, creating an arena for genetic elements to compete for inclusion in the egg to maximize their transmission. Centromeres, as mediators of chromosomal segregation, are prime candidates to evolve via 'female meiotic drive'. According to the centromere-drive model, the asymmetry of female meiosis ignites a coevolutionary arms race between selfish centromeres and kinetochore proteins, the by-product of which is accelerated sequence divergence. Here, I describe and compare plant models that have been instrumental in uncovering the mechanistic basis of female meiotic drive (maize) and the dynamics of active selfish centromeres in nature (monkeyflowers). Then, I speculate on the mechanistic basis of drive in monkeyflowers, discuss how centromere strength influences chromosomal segregation in plants, and describe new insights into the evolution of plant centromeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Findley Finseth
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
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28
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Bock DG, Cai Z, Elphinstone C, González-Segovia E, Hirabayashi K, Huang K, Keais GL, Kim A, Owens GL, Rieseberg LH. Genomics of plant speciation. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 4:100599. [PMID: 37050879 PMCID: PMC10504567 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Studies of plants have been instrumental for revealing how new species originate. For several decades, botanical research has complemented and, in some cases, challenged concepts on speciation developed via the study of other organisms while also revealing additional ways in which species can form. Now, the ability to sequence genomes at an unprecedented pace and scale has allowed biologists to settle decades-long debates and tackle other emerging challenges in speciation research. Here, we review these recent genome-enabled developments in plant speciation. We discuss complications related to identification of reproductive isolation (RI) loci using analyses of the landscape of genomic divergence and highlight the important role that structural variants have in speciation, as increasingly revealed by new sequencing technologies. Further, we review how genomics has advanced what we know of some routes to new species formation, like hybridization or whole-genome duplication, while casting doubt on others, like population bottlenecks and genetic drift. While genomics can fast-track identification of genes and mutations that confer RI, we emphasize that follow-up molecular and field experiments remain critical. Nonetheless, genomics has clarified the outsized role of ancient variants rather than new mutations, particularly early during speciation. We conclude by highlighting promising avenues of future study. These include expanding what we know so far about the role of epigenetic and structural changes during speciation, broadening the scope and taxonomic breadth of plant speciation genomics studies, and synthesizing information from extensive genomic data that have already been generated by the plant speciation community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan G Bock
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Zhe Cai
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cassandra Elphinstone
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Eric González-Segovia
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Kaichi Huang
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Graeme L Keais
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amy Kim
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Gregory L Owens
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Loren H Rieseberg
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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29
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Duvernell DD, Remex NS, Miller JT, Schaefer JF. Variable rates of hybridization among contact zones between a pair of topminnow species, Fundulus notatus and F. olivaceus. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10399. [PMID: 37560181 PMCID: PMC10408002 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Pairs of species that exhibit broadly overlapping distributions, and multiple geographically isolated contact zones, provide opportunities to investigate the mechanisms of reproductive isolation. Such naturally replicated systems have demonstrated that hybridization rates can vary substantially among populations, raising important questions about the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. The topminnows, Fundulus notatus and F. olivaceus, are reciprocally monophyletic, and co-occur in drainages throughout much of the central and southern United States. Hybridization rates vary substantially among populations in isolated drainage systems. We employed genome-wide sampling to investigate geographic variation in hybridization, and to assess the possible importance of chromosome fusions to reproductive isolation among nine separate contact zones. The species differ by chromosomal rearrangements resulting from Robertsonian (Rb) fusions, so we hypothesized that Rb fusion chromosomes would serve as reproductive barriers, exhibiting steeper genomic clines than the rest of the genome. We observed variation in hybridization dynamics among drainages that ranged from nearly random mating to complete absence of hybridization. Contrary to predictions, our use of genomic cline analyses on mapped species-diagnostic SNP markers did not indicate consistent patterns of variable introgression across linkage groups, or an association between Rb fusions and genomic clines that would be indicative of reproductive isolation. We did observe a relationship between hybridization rates and population phylogeography, with the lowest rates of hybridization tending to be found in populations inferred to have had the longest histories of drainage sympatry. Our results, combined with previous studies of contact zones between the species, support population history as an important factor in explaining variation in hybridization rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- David D. Duvernell
- Department of Biological SciencesMissouri University of Science and TechnologyRollaMissouriUSA
| | - Naznin S. Remex
- Department of Biological SciencesMissouri University of Science and TechnologyRollaMissouriUSA
- Present address:
Department of Molecular and Cellular PhysiologyLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterShreveportLouisianaUSA
| | - Jeffrey T. Miller
- Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical SciencesUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNew HampshireUSA
| | - Jacob F. Schaefer
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Southern MississippiHattiesburgMississippiUSA
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30
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Karam G, Molaro A. Casting histone variants during mammalian reproduction. Chromosoma 2023:10.1007/s00412-023-00803-9. [PMID: 37347315 PMCID: PMC10356639 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-023-00803-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
During mammalian reproduction, germ cell chromatin packaging is key to prepare parental genomes for fertilization and to initiate embryonic development. While chromatin modifications such as DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications are well known to carry regulatory information, histone variants have received less attention in this context. Histone variants alter the stability, structure and function of nucleosomes and, as such, contribute to chromatin organization in germ cells. Here, we review histone variants expression dynamics during the production of male and female germ cells, and what is currently known about their parent-of-origin effects during reproduction. Finally, we discuss the apparent conundrum behind these important functions and their recent evolutionary diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germaine Karam
- Genetics, Reproduction and Development Institute (iGReD), CNRS UMR 6293, INSERM U1103, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Antoine Molaro
- Genetics, Reproduction and Development Institute (iGReD), CNRS UMR 6293, INSERM U1103, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
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31
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Wang T, Wang B, Hua X, Tang H, Zhang Z, Gao R, Qi Y, Zhang Q, Wang G, Yu Z, Huang Y, Zhang Z, Mei J, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Li Y, Meng X, Wang Y, Pan H, Chen S, Li Z, Shi H, Liu X, Deng Z, Chen B, Zhang M, Gu L, Wang J, Ming R, Yao W, Zhang J. A complete gap-free diploid genome in Saccharum complex and the genomic footprints of evolution in the highly polyploid Saccharum genus. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:554-571. [PMID: 36997685 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01378-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
A diploid genome in the Saccharum complex facilitates our understanding of evolution in the highly polyploid Saccharum genus. Here we have generated a complete, gap-free genome assembly of Erianthus rufipilus, a diploid species within the Saccharum complex. The complete assembly revealed that centromere satellite homogenization was accompanied by the insertions of Gypsy retrotransposons, which drove centromere diversification. An overall low rate of gene transcription was observed in the palaeo-duplicated chromosome EruChr05 similar to other grasses, which might be regulated by methylation patterns mediated by homologous 24 nt small RNAs, and potentially mediating the functions of many nucleotide-binding site genes. Sequencing data for 211 accessions in the Saccharum complex indicated that Saccharum probably originated in the trans-Himalayan region from a diploid ancestor (x = 10) around 1.9-2.5 million years ago. Our study provides new insights into the origin and evolution of Saccharum and accelerates translational research in cereal genetics and genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyou Wang
- National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Baiyu Wang
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xiuting Hua
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Haibao Tang
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zeyu Zhang
- Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, College of Forestry, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ruiting Gao
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Yiying Qi
- National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qing Zhang
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China
| | - Zehuai Yu
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Yongji Huang
- Institute of Oceanography, Marine Biotechnology Center, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jing Mei
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yuhao Wang
- National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yixing Zhang
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yihan Li
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Xue Meng
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yongjun Wang
- National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Haoran Pan
- National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shuqi Chen
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhen Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huihong Shi
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xinlong Liu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Sugarcane Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kaiyuan, China
| | - Zuhu Deng
- National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Baoshan Chen
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Muqing Zhang
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Lianfeng Gu
- Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, College of Forestry, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jianping Wang
- Department of Agronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ray Ming
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wei Yao
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
| | - Jisen Zhang
- State Key Lab for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical AgroBiological Resources and Guangxi Key Lab for Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
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32
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Majka J, Glombik M, Doležalová A, Kneřová J, Ferreira MTM, Zwierzykowski Z, Duchoslav M, Studer B, Doležel J, Bartoš J, Kopecký D. Both male and female meiosis contribute to non-Mendelian inheritance of parental chromosomes in interspecific plant hybrids (Lolium × Festuca). THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:624-636. [PMID: 36658468 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Some interspecific plant hybrids show unequal transmission of chromosomes from parental genomes to the successive generations. It has been suggested that this is due to a differential behavior of parental chromosomes during meiosis. However, underlying mechanism is unknown. We analyzed chromosome composition of the F2 generation of Festuca × Lolium hybrids and reciprocal backcrosses to elucidate effects of male and female meiosis on the shift in parental genome composition. We studied male meiosis, including the attachment of chromosomes to the karyokinetic spindle and gene expression profiling of the kinetochore genes. We found that Lolium and Festuca homoeologues were transmitted differently to the F2 generation. Female meiosis led to the replacement of Festuca chromosomes by their Lolium counterparts. In male meiosis, Festuca univalents were attached less frequently to microtubules than Lolium univalents, lagged in divisions and formed micronuclei, which were subsequently eliminated. Genome sequence analysis revealed a number of non-synonymous mutations between copies of the kinetochore genes from Festuca and Lolium genomes. Furthermore, we found that outer kinetochore proteins NDC80 and NNF1 were exclusively expressed from the Lolium allele. We hypothesize that silencing of Festuca alleles results in improper attachment of Festuca chromosomes to karyokinetic spindle and subsequently their gradual elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Majka
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60479, Poznan, Poland
| | - Marek Glombik
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich. NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Alžběta Doležalová
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Kneřová
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Marco Tulio Mendes Ferreira
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Department of Biology, Federal University of Lavras, 37200-000, Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Martin Duchoslav
- Department of Botany, Palacký University, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Bruno Studer
- Molecular Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jaroslav Doležel
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Bartoš
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - David Kopecký
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, 77900, Olomouc, Czech Republic
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33
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Talbert P, Henikoff S. Centromere drive: chromatin conflict in meiosis. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2022; 77:102005. [PMID: 36372007 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2022.102005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Centromeres are essential loci in eukaryotes that are necessary for the faithful segregation of chromosomes in mitosis and meiosis. Centromeres organize the kinetochore, the protein machine that attaches sister chromatids or homologous chromosomes to spindle microtubules and regulates their disjunction. Centromeres have both genetic and epigenetic determinants, which can come into conflict in asymmetric female meiosis in seed plants and animals. The centromere drive model was proposed to describe this conflict and explain how it leads to the rapid evolution of both centromeres and kinetochores. Recent studies confirm key aspects of the centromere drive model, clarify its mechanisms, and implicate rapid centromere/kinetochore evolution in hybrid inviability between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Talbert
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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34
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Malik HS. Driving lessons: a brief (personal) history of centromere drive. Genetics 2022; 222:iyac155. [PMID: 39255401 PMCID: PMC9713404 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Harmit S Malik
- Division of Basic Sciences & Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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35
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Urban JA, Ranjan R, Chen X. Asymmetric Histone Inheritance: Establishment, Recognition, and Execution. Annu Rev Genet 2022; 56:113-143. [PMID: 35905975 PMCID: PMC10054593 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-072920-125226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of biased histone inheritance in asymmetrically dividing Drosophila melanogaster male germline stem cells demonstrates one means to produce two distinct daughter cells with identical genetic material. This inspired further studies in different systems, which revealed that this phenomenon may be a widespread mechanism to introduce cellular diversity. While the extent of asymmetric histone inheritance could vary among systems, this phenomenon is proposed to occur in three steps: first, establishment of histone asymmetry between sister chromatids during DNA replication; second, recognition of sister chromatids carrying asymmetric histone information during mitosis; and third, execution of this asymmetry in the resulting daughter cells. By compiling the current knowledge from diverse eukaryotic systems, this review comprehensively details and compares known chromatin factors, mitotic machinery components, and cell cycle regulators that may contribute to each of these three steps. Also discussed are potential mechanisms that introduce and regulate variable histone inheritance modes and how these different modes may contribute to cell fate decisions in multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Urban
- Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;
| | - Rajesh Ranjan
- Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; ,
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36
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Ayarza E, Cavada G, Arévalo T, Molina A, Berríos S. Quantitative analysis of Robertsonian chromosomes inherited by descendants from multiple Rb heterozygotes of Mus m. Domesticus. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1050556. [PMID: 36506103 PMCID: PMC9732535 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1050556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Robertsonian translocation is the most common chromosomal rearrangement in mammals, and represents the type of chromosomal change that most effectively contributes to speciation in natural populations. Rb translocations involve double-strand DNA breaks at the centromere level in two telocentric chromosomes, followed by repair ligation of the respective long arms, creating a metacentric Rb chromosome. Many different chromosomal races have been described in Mus musculus domesticus that show reduced chromosome numbers due to the presence of Rb metacentric chromosomes. The crossroads between ancestral telocentrics and the new metacentric chromosomes should be resolved in the meiotic cells of the heterozygote individuals, which form trivalents. The preferential segregation of metacentric chromosomes to the egg during female meiosis I has been proposed to favor their fixation and eventual conversion of a telocentric karyotype to a metacentric karyotype. This biased segregation, a form of meiotic drive, explains the karyotype changes in mammalian species that have accumulated Rb fusions. We studied and compared the number of Rb chromosomes inherited by the offspring of multiple Rb heterozygous of M. domesticus in reciprocal crosses. We did not find that the Rb chromosomes were inherited preferentially with respect to the telocentric chromosomes; therefore, we found no evidence for the meiotic drive, nor was there a random distribution of Rb chromosomes inherited by the descendants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana Ayarza
- Departamento de Tecnología Médica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gabriel Cavada
- Instituto de Salud Poblacional, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Tamara Arévalo
- Programa Genética Humana, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alam Molina
- Programa Genética Humana, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Soledad Berríos
- Programa Genética Humana, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,*Correspondence: Soledad Berríos,
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37
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Hill HJ, Golic KG. Chromosome Tug of War: Dicentric Chromosomes and the Centromere Strength Hypothesis. Cells 2022; 11:3550. [PMID: 36428979 PMCID: PMC9688759 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been 70 years since the concept of varied centromere strengths was introduced based on the behavior of dicentric chromosomes. One of the key conclusions from those early experiments was that some centromeres could pull with sufficient force to break a dicentric chromosome bridge, while others could not. In the ensuing decades there have been numerous studies to characterize strengths of the various components involved, such as the spindle, the kinetochore, and the chromosome itself. We review these various measurements to determine if the conclusions about centromere strength are supported by current evidence, with special attention to characterization of Drosophila melanogaster kinetochores upon which the original conclusions were based.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kent G. Golic
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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38
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Zhang XM, Yan M, Yang Z, Xiang H, Tang W, Cai X, Wu Q, Liu X, Pei G, Li J. Creation of artificial karyotypes in mice reveals robustness of genome organization. Cell Res 2022; 32:1026-1029. [PMID: 36127403 PMCID: PMC9652337 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-022-00722-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Merlin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Meng Yan
- School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhenhua Yang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xindong Cai
- School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qigui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinsong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
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39
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Caro L, Raman P, Steiner FA, Ailion M, Malik HS. Recurrent but Short-Lived Duplications of Centromeric Proteins in Holocentric Caenorhabditis Species. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6731087. [PMID: 36173809 PMCID: PMC9577544 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Centromeric histones (CenH3s) are essential for chromosome inheritance during cell division in most eukaryotes. CenH3 genes have rapidly evolved and undergone repeated gene duplications and diversification in many plant and animal species. In Caenorhabditis species, two independent duplications of CenH3 (named hcp-3 for HoloCentric chromosome-binding Protein 3) were previously identified in C. elegans and C. remanei. Using phylogenomic analyses in 32 Caenorhabditis species, we find strict retention of the ancestral hcp-3 gene and 10 independent duplications. Most hcp-3L (hcp-3-like) paralogs are only found in 1-2 species, are expressed in both males and females/hermaphrodites, and encode histone fold domains with 69-100% identity to ancestral hcp-3. We identified novel N-terminal protein motifs, including putative kinetochore protein-interacting motifs and a potential separase cleavage site, which are well conserved across Caenorhabditis HCP-3 proteins. Other N-terminal motifs vary in their retention across paralogs or species, revealing potential subfunctionalization or functional loss following duplication. An N-terminal extension in the hcp-3L gene of C. afra revealed an unprecedented protein fusion, where hcp-3L fused to duplicated segments from hcp-4 (nematode CENP-C). By extending our analyses beyond CenH3, we found gene duplications of six inner and outer kinetochore genes in Caenorhabditis, which appear to have been retained independent of hcp-3 duplications. Our findings suggest that centromeric protein duplications occur frequently in Caenorhabditis nematodes, are selectively retained for short evolutionary periods, then degenerate or are lost entirely. We hypothesize that unique challenges associated with holocentricity in Caenorhabditis may lead to this rapid "revolving door" of kinetochore protein paralogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lews Caro
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Pravrutha Raman
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Florian A Steiner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Cellular Biology, Section of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Michael Ailion
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Harmit S Malik
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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40
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Arora UP, Dumont BL. Meiotic drive in house mice: mechanisms, consequences, and insights for human biology. Chromosome Res 2022; 30:165-186. [PMID: 35829972 PMCID: PMC9509409 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-022-09697-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Meiotic drive occurs when one allele at a heterozygous site cheats its way into a disproportionate share of functional gametes, violating Mendel's law of equal segregation. This genetic conflict typically imposes a fitness cost to individuals, often by disrupting the process of gametogenesis. The evolutionary impact of meiotic drive is substantial, and the phenomenon has been associated with infertility and reproductive isolation in a wide range of organisms. However, cases of meiotic drive in humans remain elusive, a finding that likely reflects the inherent challenges of detecting drive in our species rather than unique features of human genome biology. Here, we make the case that house mice (Mus musculus) present a powerful model system to investigate the mechanisms and consequences of meiotic drive and facilitate translational inferences about the scope and potential mechanisms of drive in humans. We first detail how different house mouse resources have been harnessed to identify cases of meiotic drive and the underlying mechanisms utilized to override Mendel's rules of inheritance. We then summarize the current state of knowledge of meiotic drive in the mouse genome. We profile known mechanisms leading to transmission bias at several established drive elements. We discuss how a detailed understanding of meiotic drive in mice can steer the search for drive elements in our own species. Lastly, we conclude with a prospective look into how new technologies and molecular tools can help resolve lingering mysteries about the prevalence and mechanisms of selfish DNA transmission in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uma P Arora
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, 136 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA, 02111, USA
| | - Beth L Dumont
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, USA.
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, 136 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA, 02111, USA.
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41
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Kumon T, Lampson MA. Evolution of eukaryotic centromeres by drive and suppression of selfish genetic elements. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 128:51-60. [PMID: 35346579 PMCID: PMC9232976 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the universal requirement for faithful chromosome segregation, eukaryotic centromeres are rapidly evolving. It is hypothesized that rapid centromere evolution represents an evolutionary arms race between selfish genetic elements that drive, or propagate at the expense of organismal fitness, and mechanisms that suppress fitness costs. Selfish centromere DNA achieves preferential inheritance in female meiosis by recruiting more effector proteins that alter spindle microtubule interaction dynamics. Parallel pathways for effector recruitment are adaptively evolved to suppress functional differences between centromeres. Opportunities to drive are not limited to female meiosis, and selfish transposons, plasmids and B chromosomes also benefit by maximizing their inheritance. Rapid evolution of selfish genetic elements can diversify suppressor mechanisms in different species that may cause hybrid incompatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Kumon
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Michael A Lampson
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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42
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Cechova M, Miga KH. Satellite DNAs and human sex chromosome variation. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 128:15-25. [PMID: 35644878 PMCID: PMC9233459 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Satellite DNAs are present on every chromosome in the cell and are typically enriched in repetitive, heterochromatic parts of the human genome. Sex chromosomes represent a unique genomic and epigenetic context. In this review, we first report what is known about satellite DNA biology on human X and Y chromosomes, including repeat content and organization, as well as satellite variation in typical euploid individuals. Then, we review sex chromosome aneuploidies that are among the most common types of aneuploidies in the general population, and are better tolerated than autosomal aneuploidies. This is demonstrated also by the fact that aging is associated with the loss of the X, and especially the Y chromosome. In addition, supernumerary sex chromosomes enable us to study general processes in a cell, such as analyzing heterochromatin dosage (i.e. additional Barr bodies and long heterochromatin arrays on Yq) and their downstream consequences. Finally, genomic and epigenetic organization and regulation of satellite DNA could influence chromosome stability and lead to aneuploidy. In this review, we argue that the complete annotation of satellite DNA on sex chromosomes in human, and especially in centromeric regions, will aid in explaining the prevalence and the consequences of sex chromosome aneuploidies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Cechova
- Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
| | - Karen H Miga
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, CA, USA; UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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43
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Finseth F, Brown K, Demaree A, Fishman L. Supergene potential of a selfish centromere. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210208. [PMID: 35694746 PMCID: PMC9189507 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Selfishly evolving centromeres bias their transmission by exploiting the asymmetry of female meiosis and preferentially segregating to the egg. Such female meiotic drive systems have the potential to be supergenes, with multiple linked loci contributing to drive costs or enhancement. Here, we explore the supergene potential of a selfish centromere (D) in Mimulus guttatus, which was discovered in the Iron Mountain (IM) Oregon population. In the nearby Cone Peak population, D is still a large, non-recombining and costly haplotype that recently swept, but shorter haplotypes and mutational variation suggest a distinct population history. We detected D in five additional populations spanning more than 200 km; together, these findings suggest that selfish centromere dynamics are widespread in M. guttatus. Transcriptome comparisons reveal elevated differences in expression between driving and non-driving haplotypes within, but not outside, the drive region, suggesting large-scale cis effects of D's spread on gene expression. We use the expression data to refine linked candidates that may interact with drive, including Nuclear Autoantigenic Sperm Protein (NASPSIM3), which chaperones the centromere-defining histone CenH3 known to modify Mimulus drive. Together, our results show that selfishly evolving centromeres may exhibit supergene behaviour and lay the foundation for future genetic dissection of drive and its costs. This article is part of the theme issue 'Genomic architecture of supergenes: causes and evolutionary consequences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Findley Finseth
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Keely Brown
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Andrew Demaree
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Lila Fishman
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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44
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Cappelletti E, Piras FM, Sola L, Santagostino M, Abdelgadir WA, Raimondi E, Lescai F, Nergadze SG, Giulotto E. Robertsonian fusion and centromere repositioning contributed to the formation of satellite-free centromeres during the evolution of zebras. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6650076. [PMID: 35881460 PMCID: PMC9356731 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Centromeres are epigenetically specified by the histone H3 variant CENP-A and typically associated to highly repetitive satellite DNA. We previously discovered natural satellite-free neocentromeres in Equus caballus and E. asinus. Here, through ChIP-seq with an anti-CENP-A antibody, we found an extraordinarily high number of centromeres lacking satellite DNA in the zebras E. burchelli (15 of 22) and E. grevyi (13 of 23), demonstrating that the absence of satellite DNA at the majority of centromeres is compatible with genome stability and species survival and challenging the role of satellite DNA in centromere function. Nine satellite-free centromeres are shared between the two species in agreement with their recent separation. We assembled all centromeric regions and improved the reference genome of E. burchelli. Sequence analysis of the CENP-A binding domains revealed that they are LINE-1 and AT-rich with four of them showing DNA amplification. In the two zebras, satellite-free centromeres emerged from centromere repositioning or following Robertsonian fusion. In five chromosomes, the centromeric function arose near the fusion points, which are located within regions marked by traces of ancestral pericentromeric sequences. Therefore, besides centromere repositioning, Robertsonian fusions are an important source of satellite-free centromeres during evolution. Finally, in one case, a satellite-free centromere was seeded on an inversion breakpoint. At eleven chromosomes, whose primary constrictions seemed to be associated to satellite repeats by cytogenetic analysis, satellite-free neocentromeres were instead located near the ancestral inactivated satellite-based centromeres, therefore, the centromeric function has shifted away from a satellite repeat containing locus to a satellite-free new position.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Cappelletti
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca M Piras
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Sola
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Marco Santagostino
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Wasma A Abdelgadir
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Elena Raimondi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesco Lescai
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Solomon G Nergadze
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Elena Giulotto
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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45
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Komluski J, Stukenbrock EH, Habig M. Non-Mendelian transmission of accessory chromosomes in fungi. Chromosome Res 2022; 30:241-253. [PMID: 35881207 PMCID: PMC9508043 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-022-09691-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Non-Mendelian transmission has been reported for various genetic elements, ranging from small transposons to entire chromosomes. One prime example of such a transmission pattern are B chromosomes in plants and animals. Accessory chromosomes in fungi are similar to B chromosomes in showing presence/absence polymorphism and being non-essential. How these chromosomes are transmitted during meiosis is however poorly understood—despite their often high impact on the fitness of the host. For several fungal organisms, a non-Mendelian transmission or a mechanistically unique meiotic drive of accessory chromosomes have been reported. In this review, we provide an overview of the possible mechanisms that can cause the non-Mendelian transmission or meiotic drives of fungal accessory chromosomes. We compare processes responsible for the non-Mendelian transmission of accessory chromosomes for different fungal eukaryotes and discuss the structural traits of fungal accessory chromosomes affecting their meiotic transmission. We conclude that research on fungal accessory chromosomes, due to their small size, ease of sequencing, and epigenetic profiling, can complement the study of B chromosomes in deciphering factors that influence and regulate the non-Mendelian transmission of entire chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovan Komluski
- Environmental Genomics, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Eva H Stukenbrock
- Environmental Genomics, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.
| | - Michael Habig
- Environmental Genomics, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.
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Brand CL, Levine MT. Cross-species incompatibility between a DNA satellite and the Drosophila Spartan homolog poisons germline genome integrity. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2962-2971.e4. [PMID: 35643081 PMCID: PMC9283324 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Satellite DNA spans megabases of eukaryotic sequence and evolves rapidly.1-6 Paradoxically, satellite-rich genomic regions mediate strictly conserved, essential processes such as chromosome segregation and nuclear structure.7-10 A leading resolution to this paradox posits that satellite DNA and satellite-associated chromosomal proteins coevolve to preserve these essential functions.11 We experimentally test this model of intragenomic coevolution by conducting the first evolution-guided manipulation of both chromosomal protein and DNA satellite. The 359bp satellite spans an 11 Mb array in Drosophila melanogaster that is absent from its sister species, Drosophila simulans.12-14 This species-specific DNA satellite colocalizes with the adaptively evolving, ovary-enriched protein, maternal haploid (MH), the Drosophila homolog of Spartan.15 To determine if MH and 359bp coevolve, we swapped the D. simulans version of MH ("MH[sim]") into D. melanogaster. MH[sim] triggers ovarian cell death, reduced ovary size, and loss of mature eggs. Surprisingly, the D. melanogaster mh-null mutant has no such ovary phenotypes,15 suggesting that MH[sim] is toxic in a D. melanogaster background. Using both cell biology and genetics, we discovered that MH[sim] poisons oogenesis through a DNA-damage pathway. Remarkably, deleting the D. melanogaster-specific 359bp satellite array completely restores mh[sim] germline genome integrity and fertility, consistent with a history of coevolution between these two fast-evolving loci. Germline genome integrity and fertility are also restored by overexpressing topoisomerase II (Top2), suggesting that MH[sim] interferes with Top2-mediated processing of 359bp. The observed 359bp-MH[sim] cross-species incompatibility supports a model under which seemingly inert repetitive DNA and essential chromosomal proteins must coevolve to preserve germline genome integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L Brand
- Department of Biology and Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mia T Levine
- Department of Biology and Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Abstract
Many human embryos die in utero owing to an excess or deficit of chromosomes, a phenomenon known as aneuploidy; this is largely a consequence of nondisjunction during maternal meiosis I. Asymmetries of this division render it vulnerable to selfish centromeres that promote their own transmission, these being thought to somehow underpin aneuploidy. In this essay, I suggest that these vulnerabilities provide only half the solution to the enigma. In mammals, as in utero and postnatal provisioning is continuous, the costs of early death are mitigated. With such reproductive compensation, selection can favour a centromere because it induces lethal aneuploidy: if, when taken towards the polar body, it instead kills the embryo via aneuploidy, it gains. The model is consistent with the observation that reduced dosage of a murine drive suppressor induces aneuploidy and with the fact that high aneuploidy rates in vertebrates are seen exclusively in mammals. I propose further tests of this idea. The wastefulness of human reproduction may be a price we pay for nurturing our offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence D. Hurst
- Wissenshaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom
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48
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Senaratne AP, Cortes-Silva N, Drinnenberg IA. Evolution of holocentric chromosomes: Drivers, diversity, and deterrents. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 127:90-99. [PMID: 35031207 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Centromeres are specialized chromosomal regions that recruit kinetochore proteins and mediate spindle microtubule attachment to ensure faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis. Centromeres can be restricted to one region of the chromosome. Named "monocentromere", this type represents the most commonly found centromere organization across eukaryotes. Alternatively, centromeres can also be assembled at sites chromosome-wide. This second type is called "holocentromere". Despite their early description over 100 years ago, research on holocentromeres has lagged behind that of monocentromeres. Nevertheless, the application of next generation sequencing approaches and advanced microscopic technologies enabled recent advances understanding the molecular organization and regulation of holocentromeres in different organisms. Here we review the current state of research on holocentromeres focusing on evolutionary considerations. First, we provide a brief historical perspective on the discovery of holocentric chromosomes. We then discuss models/drivers that have been proposed over the years to explain the evolutionary transition from mono- to holocentric chromosomes. We continue to review the description of holocentric chromosomes in diverse eukaryotic groups and then focus our discussion on a specific and recently characterized type of holocentromere organization in insects that functions independently of the otherwise essential centromeric marker protein CenH3, thus providing novel insights into holocentromere evolution in insects. Finally, we propose reasons to explain why the holocentric trait is not more frequent across eukaryotes despite putative selective advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nuria Cortes-Silva
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Ines A Drinnenberg
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR3664, F-75005 Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Institut Curie, CNRS, UMR3664, F-75005 Paris, France.
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49
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Booker TR, Payseur BA, Tigano A. Background selection under evolving recombination rates. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220782. [PMID: 35730151 PMCID: PMC9233929 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background selection (BGS), the effect that purifying selection exerts on sites linked to deleterious alleles, is expected to be ubiquitous across eukaryotic genomes. The effects of BGS reflect the interplay of the rates and fitness effects of deleterious mutations with recombination. A fundamental assumption of BGS models is that recombination rates are invariant over time. However, in some lineages, recombination rates evolve rapidly, violating this central assumption. Here, we investigate how recombination rate evolution affects genetic variation under BGS. We show that recombination rate evolution modifies the effects of BGS in a manner similar to a localized change in the effective population size, potentially leading to underestimation or overestimation of the genome-wide effects of selection. Furthermore, we find evidence that recombination rate evolution in the ancestors of modern house mice may have impacted inferences of the genome-wide effects of selection in that species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom R. Booker
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bret A. Payseur
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Anna Tigano
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC, Canada
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50
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Dudka D, Lampson MA. Centromere drive: model systems and experimental progress. Chromosome Res 2022; 30:187-203. [PMID: 35731424 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-022-09696-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Centromeres connect chromosomes and spindle microtubules to ensure faithful chromosome segregation. Paradoxically, despite this conserved function, centromeric DNA evolves rapidly and centromeric proteins show signatures of positive selection. The centromere drive hypothesis proposes that centromeric DNA can act like a selfish genetic element and drive non-Mendelian segregation during asymmetric female meiosis. Resulting fitness costs lead to genetic conflict with the rest of the genome and impose a selective pressure for centromeric proteins to adapt by suppressing the costs. Here, we describe experimental model systems for centromere drive in yellow monkeyflowers and mice, summarize key findings demonstrating centromere drive, and explain molecular mechanisms. We further discuss efforts to test if centromeric proteins are involved in suppressing drive-associated fitness costs, highlight a model for centromere drive and suppression in mice, and put forth outstanding questions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Dudka
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Michael A Lampson
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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